The Man Who Knew Too Much

Murray Pomerance offers an illuminating account of one of Hitchcock’s most intruiging and successful films, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), starring James Stewart and Doris Day. Through a close reading of the film alongside analysis of its complex production history, Pomerance’s analysis highlights its darkest nuances, and its themes of musicality, gendered power, and cultural strangeness. He proposes that, far from being a merely charming escapade, the film tells a strange story of doubling, spiritual presence, and the intricacies of social organisation.